Those Who Get Left Behind
by Kristal-Dynamite
Summary: What if Nick never shot Matthew on the bridge in S2:E2? What if Matthew shot Nick? How will the group and Luke react? (One-shot)


**Those Who Get Left Behind**

**Hey guys!**

**Another one-shot! These are so fun to write!**

**This story has no pairings however it focuses a lot on the friendship Luke and Nick have near the end of the story... if that makes sense!**

**Please review, favourite and follow if you enjoy it because it would help me out a lot! :)**

**Also, check out my other stories if you haven't already! Enjoy!**

**(I do not own the walking dead) the actual game, yes! :P**

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><p>He didn't know whether his eyes were lying to him or not... Maybe he was messed up in the head now that Pete was dead but he could tell something was wrong...<p>

Nick stood up, glancing a quick look at the bridge before picking up his rifle. There was defiantly someone there. His eyes weren't playing tricks on him this time...

"Nick? What is it?" Carlos questions, noticing how the black haired man suddenly became silent, his eyes fixed on the bridge in the far distance.

"You see that, don't you?" Nick asks, eyes still lingering on Luke, then Clementine, then the stranger. He had a rifle in hand but he wasn't holding his two friends at gun point. They were... talking?

Carlos squinted his eyes slightly to indeed spot the other figure hovering in front of Luke and Clementine.

"Who is he?" Carlos questions.

It was stupid question really, but Nick didn't have the time to bring up a whole other subject... This 'man' on the bridge could be a threat.

"I dunno, I'm going to check it out..." Nick replies, now jogging over to where Luke and Clementine left, his rifle in the ready.

_I ain't letting anyone else die!_

"We'll follow in a minute!" Carlos called out to Nick who was now nearly out of sight. Nick nodded in reply, however knowing that Carlos wouldn't notice anyway.

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><p>Eventually, Nick finally reached the bridge. It looked a lot bigger now that he was standing directly in front of it. He darted his eyes around to notice walker corpses sprawled out amongst the grass. Fresh blood leaking out of their heads and onto the ground below in a sticky puddle.<p>

_Luke and Clem... _Nick thought. Maybe they were a good fighting duo...

Looking back to the bridge, Nick noticed the stranger, Luke and Clementine still talking to one another as if they were friends.

_Surely they can't trust this guy already?! _Nick thought, slight anger welling up inside of him as he gripped his rifle tightly within his sweaty palms.

Without anymore hesitation, Nick approached the trio who were standing not too far near the end of the bridge.

He practically skipped across as the bridge didn't look too sturdy. He just hoped he wouldn't fall through... that would certainly would not be a good start.

As he approached nearer, Nick noticed the stranger look up at him, eyes widening as he fumbled around with his own rifle.

Nick took a close look at the man. He looked to be asian and he didn't look like anyone he recognised but he was a threat to him and his group...

Immediately, Nick raised his rifle, heart racing as he almost completely forgot why he came here in the first place... He stopped in his tracks so that he could take an aim at the man who had already drawn his rifle up... before himself.

Luke and Clementine also swung themselves around, looking desperately between Nick and the other man not knowing where this situation was going to end up.

"No, no, no don't do that! He's with us!" Luke pleaded frantically as the asian man stared daggers towards Nick, not too sure whether or not he wanted to believe him. Never had the man come across someone who put him straight at gunpoint... the guy didn't even know him!

Meanwhile, Nick was slowly pressing his finger against the trigger, not satisfied with how the man ignored Luke and Clementines's pleads to get him to stop. Was he making this worse?

_"Keep your finger off the trigger boy!"_

_"Sometimes, you gotta play a role... even if it means the people you love hate you for it..."_  
><span>

"Nick! Stop! Put the gun down!" Clementine almost screeched as she could sense Nick and the other man applying pressure to the trigger's.

"Tell him to put the gun down!" Nick shouted back, slightly unsure of what he was willing to happen next...

He was distracted afterwards for only a few seconds. However, a few seconds too many...

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><p>Out of fear for his own life, the asian man pressed down on the trigger of his rifle, sending a bullet whizzing through the air at the speed of light. He flinched as he pushed his index finger on the small piece of metal... Was this something worth regretting?<p>

Luckily, Luke and Clementine got down in a nick of time, Luke sheltering the younger girl with his body as he dreaded to stand up afterwards, not knowing exactly what the outcome of the shot will be.

"Luke?" Clementine asks shakily as everything around them became silent within seconds, which felt like years.

Back into reality, Luke slowly and steadily stood up, taking his protective hold away from the younger girl as she followed and got up after him.

In front of the pair stood the asian man. He was unharmed, hands still on his rifle but he was shaking, brown orbs widening just like moments ago.

"I...I..." the man stuttered, his hands shaking all over the place as he looked behind both Clementine and Luke.

Almost instantly, Luke and Clementine twisted their heads and bodies around to set their eyes upon the other man... their friend.

He wasn't unharmed... he _was_ harmed.

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><p>Nick's knees gave in as he grunted in pain. Within moments, his breath was simply taken away. Shot right through the chest, in a lung maybe, he'd been shot. He'd been shot because he couldn't act damn quick enough! Was Luke, Clementine and the group going to be safe with this <em>murderer<em> around?

His hands released the rifle, sending it to the ground and instead went straight to his chest. Crimson blood leaked out everywhere, soaking his shirt, soaking his pale hands.

"NICK!" Luke screamed, running towards his best friend, not showing any concern for the weakness of the bridge.

"LUKE!" Clementine shouted after him, however he was now too far. Clementine turned towards the shocked man. He was standing ever so still, not attempting to make a move as he weakly gripped onto his rifle.

_Bad mistake, bad fucking mistake! _The man thought to himself, nerves now pulling him over the edge of all things.

"YOU KILLED MY FRIEND!" Clementine shouted, waking forward in large steps and pushing the man, in which he stumbled slightly before regaining his balance.

"I... I... I didn't mean to! He was going to shoot me!" The asian man pleaded, voice tumbling as he watched the brunette man hold the black haired man on his lap, sobbing wildly. Was the man really going to shoot him? Maybe if he waited a little longer, things could've turned out better...

"You didn't have to kill him!" Clementine yelled, her eyebrows furrowed as she gave her famous death glare towards the now considered 'murderer'.

"Little girl, I had no choice...I swear!" he continued, now looking back towards the small building he came from deciding whether he should run or not. He didn't want to get possibly hacked to death by the man with the machete... he hoped not anyway.

"Don't move!" Clementine hissed. She wanted to run over to Nick, Luke and the group who were now approaching, but she didn't want to let the man run away... She knew Luke wouldn't like that.

"I...I..." The asian man continued to stammer, regretting even pulling the trigger. If only the bullet just flew right pass... However he would of probably died afterwards anyway.

"Nick! C'mon man, don't do this!" Luke desperately shouted as he held Nick's limp body in his lap. Never would he have thought seeing his best friend like this would affect him so much.

Tears spilled down his cheeks as he held the dying man close... Nick was gasping for air as blood started to fill up his lungs. His blue eyes showed clear pain and fear as he looked up helplessly at the brunette who sobbed uncontrollably. His best friend...

"I'm sorry Nick... I'm sorry about everything!" Luke muttered as he heard quick footsteps approaching. He looked up to see the rest of his group, shock all plastered onto their tired faces. He also noticed a sorrowful Clem was waiting with the man... the man that killed his best friend.

"CARLOS! PLEASE HELP!" Luke now cried out as Nick's choking and whimpering became more violent. He tried to speak but it was useless, it hurt...

The doctor ran forward with haste. Sarah trailed behind her father however Rebecca held her back firmly so that she wouldn't have to watch a good friend die in front of her.

"Daddy! Nick!?" Sarah called out, anxiety lingering within her tone of voice.

"C'mon Sarah... ssh..." Rebecca says to the teenaged girl, a few tears making their way down her cheeks as she continued to watch the whole traumatic event take place.

Without a word, Carlos bends down beside Nick, opposite to Luke and rapidly checks over Nick's wound. Too much blood was pouring out, and there was clearly nothing that could be done other than to let Nick die in which he would in a few moments...

"Luke..." Carlos starts to say, his voice quiet but his pained expression told Luke everything.

_His lung has been punctured..._ That's what Carlos wanted to say, but he couldn't... he just couldn't.

"No, no, no it can't be! Please Carlos!" Luke begged, looking directly into the doctors eyes, searching for a sign of hope... but there was none.

"I'm sorry Luke..."

"I'm sorry Nick..." Carlos says, looking down at Nick who seemed to relax slightly, his eyes not showing anymore pain. The sky, Luke and Carlos's faces became a sudden blur... The cries of his best friend, Sarah and Rebecca also started to fade, becoming quieter like the last lines of a song. It became sadly peaceful...

"Nick?" Luke asks of his name after it went all silent.

No reply.

"NICK!" Luke yelled, shaking his friends body as he looked desperately into Nick's unmoving ocean blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Luke..." Carlos says, pulling out his pistol from his back pocket.

"NO! You can't... please..." Luke begged, desperately searching for that spark of hope.

"He's going to turn, Luke... you don't want that, do you?" Carlos explains, remaining as calm as he possibly could. He knew that Luke knew this was the end... and sadly, they had to move on... walkers were approaching.

Luke sniffled before the sound of walker groans reached his ears. They had to get moving...

"Okay... Is there no time for a burial?" Luke asked sheepishly. He knew it was stupid to ask but he didn't want his friend to be walker bait so that they could have more time to get away.

Carlos gave another sad look, guilt ridden within his brown eyes.

_I guess that's a no then... _Luke thought to himself sadly.

"Just...just give me some time... I'll do it." Luke speaks up, holding his hand out and indicating for Carlos's gun.

"Are.. are you sure?" Carlos asks, however he handed the gun over to Luke with ease.

"Yes... now go. I'll be there in a sec." Luke says, looking over cautiously to the walkers approaching.

"Okay." Carlos replied, standing up fully and looking over sorrowfully to the other group members, indicating for them to follow.

Luke sniffled one more time before closing Nick's eyelids gently and standing up.

Alvin, Rebecca and Sarah shuffled past, expressions sunken as they looked at Nick's one, last time...

Meanwhile with Clementine she thought back to the cellar. She told Nick that it was not necessarily true when he said that they were all going to die... For Nick to die first, after loosing Pete, it made her feel guilty... but what would Nick accept anyway? The harsh truth? Or lies as such as: "It's going to be okay." or "We're not going to die like them..."

Nick didn't deserve to die like this... however, she was glad he wouldn't have to turn as she could see Luke in the distance, holding up a pistol towards Nick's head, his hand shaking violently as he hesitated.

She was going to have to talk to Luke after this... make him feel better at the least...

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><p>"I'm sorry Nick... for everything. But you're in a better place now, with Pete and your mom..."<p>

"I hope to see you soon..." Luke says quietly, wiping a single tear away from his face before aiming his gun towards his friends forehead.

"Goodbye Nick."

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><p>The gunshot rang out, alerting several more walkers. The group were at the end of the bridge now, dragging along the man who shot Nick.<p>

Luke didn't know what he was going to do with him. He didn't want to kill him, he's not like that... but he was angry nevertheless. Nick was dead. Dead because of him...

He needed someone right now... to talk to.

And who was the little girl who has experienced more pain than anyone he knew right now?

Clementine.

He will talk to Clementine... she will understand. Luke smiled gently before jogging or practically running towards he group, not looking back once.

Not looking back to his best friend because he knew that was no longer him...

Nick was with Pete and his mom now...

In a place, called heaven...


End file.
